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One of Aston Villa’s promotion heroes has taken interim charge at a League One club.
Former Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane has been handed the reins at Barnsley following the sacking of Darrell Clarke.
The Tykes, down in tenth in League One and eight points outside the play-off places, have decided now is the time to act before it’s too late. Clarke had taken charge of 44 matches since his appointment in May of last year, facing a host of challenges during his brief spell at Oakwell Stadium.
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Hourihane, a coach at Barnsley following his decision in December to retire from his professional playing days by stepping down as a player-coach, will take on the full leadership of the team until the end of the season.
It’s perhaps not the circumstances in which Hourihane wouldn’t wanted to earn his first management gig but it’s undoubtedly a terrific opportunity. It’d be quite the task to close the eight-point gap to the top six with just 10 matches remaining but doing so could put him in with a shot at the job on a permanent basis.
The 33-year-old is fondly remembered at Villa Park as he played a vital role in the promotion to the Premier League in 2019, scoring seven goals and making 12 assists in 43 Championship matches throughout that famous campaign. The season before was just as strong, too, as he contributed 11 goals and two assists in 41 league games.
Hourihane had great success in League One and League Two with Plymouth Argyle and Barnsley before he joined Villa, establishing himself as a key player for three seasons at each. As his time at Villa came to an end, Hourihane enjoyed loan spells at Swansea City and Sheffield United before eventually leaving for Derby County in 2022.
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Barnsley chiefs explain Clarke and Hourihane calls
Tykes chairman Neerav Parekh and sporting director Mladen Sormaz have admitted it wasn’t easy to sack Clarke but did so in the best interests of the club. There’s a lot at stake and the pair wanted to ensure Barnsley had the best chance of success for the rest of the season.
Explaining the decision, Parekh said: “We would like to thank Darrell for his efforts in a season which has been difficult for various reasons. Darrell has worked extremely hard to try and get the team competitive and pushing for promotion, unfortunately, we find ourselves eight points away from the play-offs and feel that a change is needed.”
Sormaz then added: "Darrell is someone I respect and have enjoyed working with and I’d like to thank him for his efforts this season. Whilst a list of replacements has been identified, we will take some time to ensure the next appointment is the right one with a focus on playing identity, returning to high pressing and attacking football.
“We believe that Conor can help to create enough bounce to keep us fighting for the top six until the end of the season. We will also be working in parallel to have a new Head Coach in place over the summer.”